Program Overview

Doctorate by Publication

The Doctorate by Publication is a doctoral program offered by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. This program allows students to pursue a doctorate by publishing original research in peer-reviewed journals.

Doctoral Degree Papers

To pursue a doctorate by publication, students must submit doctoral degree papers, which include:

• For a Dr. med., Dr. med. dent., or Dr. rer. medic. degree, at least one original publication as lead author in a peer-reviewed journal, as well as a synopsis.
• For a PhD or MD/PhD degree, either an original publication as lead author in an international leading journal ("top journal") plus a synopsis, or three original publications with at least one lead authorship in a peer-reviewed journal plus a covering text.

Title of Dissertation and Publication(s)

The title of the dissertation cannot be the same as the title of one of the publications, due to potential protective rights and bibliographical problems.

Structure of a Doctoral Thesis

The structure of a doctoral thesis for the Doctorate by Publication program includes:

• Cover sheet (title of the thesis in German and English, each with a maximum of 160 characters including spaces)
• Table of contents
• List of figures and tables
• List of abbreviations
• An abstract (max. 3,000 characters including spaces, each in German and English)
• Dissertation text: a text usually comprising 5,000-10,000 words, which should contain approx. 40 references, addressing the following points:
  • Presentation of the state of research
  • In-depth description of the methodology
  • Significant new results
  • Resulting clinical applications
  • Further scientific questions
  • Detailed list of own achievements
• Bibliography: regardless of the citation method used, please list all authors.
• Affidavit / declaration of contribution
• Print copy(s) of the selected publication(s)
• Curriculum vitae
• Complete list of publications with IF
• Acknowledgments

Documents to Submit

The following documents are required for submission:

• Application for the initiation of the doctoral procedure
• Document "Data required for the initiation of the doctoral examination procedure"
• Document "Type of oral examination" (only in the Standard Track)
• Statutory declaration/declaration of own contribution
• If applicable, declaration of shared first authorship (only for doctorate by publication)
• Affidavit of any previously requested proceedings
• Document "Consent to data storage and affidavit"
• Document "Proof of storage of primary data"
• Votum Informativum: A confirmation of the quality and doctoral worthiness of the submitted work by the supervisor.
• Assesor proposal form
• Proof of attendance of the courses accompanying the doctorate (Transcript of Records) only for participants in a doctoral program
• Proof of attendance of compulsory lecture "Good Scientific Practice"
• The signed form confirming acknowledgement of the plagiarism check and a printout of the e-mail from the Office of Good Scientific Practice in which you received the report.
• Cover sheet and abstract of your dissertation in German and English
• Complete list of all publications including impact factors (IF)
• Copy of degree certificate or certificate of enrollment (plus: diploma certificate or Master's and Bachelor's certificate if applicable)
• Copy of license to practice medicine (Approbationsurkunde), if available
• Copy of medical specialist certificate (Facharzturkunde), if available
• Copy of certificate of enrollment as a doctoral student, if applicable, if you are not already enrolled in the Human Medicine or Dentistry program at Charité.
• Curriculum vitae and certificates: The CV should also include details of previous doctoral attempts. Degree programs and academic degrees awarded must be documented by certificates.
• Identity card or passport (simple copy)